Arizona Eagletarian

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Redistricting -- legislative power grab

First point I need to make is that I do NOT choose the ads that run on this blog. Google does. Apparently, they do not have an algorithm to detect irony. If they did, there's no way an ad for Ben Quayle would show up on these pages.

Now, with that out of the way, Democratic leadership in the Arizona House and Senate issued the following:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 1, 2011

Democrats outraged by politician power grab and bullying of redistricting process

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – As the Republicans wrapped up a one-day chaotic special session to impeach citizen Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) Chairwoman Colleen Mathis, legislative Democratic leaders were dismayed by what they decried as the worst power grab possible by partisan, incumbent politicians.

House Minority Leader Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix (District 14) said:

"The Governor and Legislature have sunk to a new low with this special session. The blatant bullying, intimidation and partisanship they have inflicted on the citizen members of the Independent Redistricting Commission is abhorrent. They should be ashamed of themselves. When I see politicians behaving like this I understand why so many voters want to throw elected officials out of office. They deserve it. The people are demanding that elected officials come together to create jobs and help our schools and the partisan, incumbent politicians only care about protecting themselves. It's disgusting."

Senate Minority Leader David Schapira, D-Tempe (District 17) said:

“There was no basis for the removal of Chairwoman Mathis except pure partisan politics. There have been absolutely no findings of fact, and no conclusions of law. In the past, when the Legislature impeached a governor, there were full proceedings and guarantees of due process. Now, we have a witch hunt coordinated by a Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Republican Congressional delegation and Republican legislators with a predetermined outcome. It’s a disgrace.”

Democrats said they plan to send the attached letter (text below and attached) to the Independent Redistricting Commission to give feedback on the draft maps and redistricting process. They emphasized that a letter – versus a taxpayer-funded special session intended to bully the IRC members into changing their draft maps – is the proper way to influence the independent redistricting process created by voters in a 2000 ballot measure.

2 comments:

Nov 1, 2011Statement on Republican abuse of power in redistricting impeachment

Andrei Cherny, Arizona Democratic Party chairman, gave this statement in response to the Republican supermajority's redistricting impeachment vote:

"Today, Arizona's Republican politicians showed they are willing to violate the Constitution and the rule of law in order to perpetuate their own power. This baseless, unfair vote to impeach a volunteer citizen commissioner was the culmination of nearly a year of bullying and interference. Every honest person in the state agrees that this is not about ‘substantial neglect of duty’ or ‘gross misconduct in office.’ It is about protecting the careers of Republican congressmen at the expense of good government and fair elections. This is a historic abuse of power without parallel in modern American history.

"Republican politicians know the only way they can stay in power in a closely divided state is to break the law and drag the reputation of an honorable citizen through the mud. Today, they did so. But what they're not counting on is this: The stench is something they will never be able to shake. It will trail them into next year's elections where every Arizonan will know what they did to silence the voices of Arizona's growing ranks of independents. We will do everything in our power to hold them accountable and remind Arizonans whose side GOP lawmakers are on -- their own."

Yeah, I got the press release also. It's important to recognize that the GOP have framed this whole power grab as them fulfilling their constitutional duty. So, I had hoped for something from the ADP that recognized the situation and how the GOP is playing it. What the GOP did was despicable but it was carried out within the framework OF the state constitution. Hopefully the courts will recognize the facts and reverse the senate's action.